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A local contractor is in prison after police say he swindled several customers. NBC10's Deanna Durante has the story. (Published Tuesday, July 16, 2013)

A local contractor is behind bars after police say he took money for jobs he never finished.

Kathy Favuzzi says she can’t get to her backyard without crossing two wooden planks after she hired the contractor to replace her patio.

“We hired John Farabella from Eastern Construction and Roofing,” she said.

John “Farabella” is actually 62-year-old John Salvatico, according to police. Police say he pleaded guilty in 2008 to swindling six homeowners, taking their cash for jobs he never completed, just as he had done to Favuzzi. Investigators say he was using the fake name in order to hide his conviction as well as the fact that he was not allowed to obtain another contractor license in Pennsylvania as part of his plea deal.

Favuzzi didn’t know any of this until she signed a check of nearly $6,000 and Salvatico never showed up to work. Now she is left with a pile of ripped up cement and a damaged backyard.

“This is what we’re left with,” she said. “With all the rain we’ve had it’s created a mess.”

Officials say Salvatico was on 10-years probation for his 2008 conviction and ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution. Court records show however that he is behind on those payments.

Salvatico was arrested on Monday and charged with Home Improvement fraud and several other offenses. He is currently being held in Bucks County Prison on $500,000 bail.

Police say they discovered other victims who gave Salvatico money for jobs he never performed. If you believe you were a victim of Salvatico, please call your local police department or the Lower Southampton Police at 215-357-1234.